February 1908 marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of Elie Cartan's paper Les Sous-Groupes des Groupes Continus de Transformations and the introduction to the Method of Equivalence–Cartan's tremendously powerful machinery for uncovering geometry. Thanks in large part to the contributions of two subsequent masters of this mathematics, S.-S. Chern and Robby Gardner, Cartan's Method of Equivalence and his theory of Exterior Differential Systems have found applications from pure mathematics to mechanics, engineering, and computer science. This workshop brings together leading practitioners in Exterior Differential Systems and the Method of Equivalence to explore recent developments including: the study of Riemannian submersions, holonomy, almost complex manifolds, representation theory and mathematical physics, integrable systems and conservation laws, partial differential equations, including Backlund transformations and solitons, control theory and a new central limit theorem. May 2008 also marks the 10th anniversary of Robby Gardner’s untimely death and this workshop is held in his honor.

Acknowledgements: photos of Chern and Gardner by George Bergman; design by Concrete Design Communications Inc.

Accommodations: A block of rooms has been reserved at the Rose Garden Inn. Reservations may be made by calling 1-800-992-9005 OR directly on their website. Click on “Reservations and Availability” then click on “Corporate” at the bottom of the screen and enter the word “math”. Enter Group Code CGMS59 in the “Guest Comment” box, and provide requested information The cut-off date for reservations is April 8, 2008. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hotel Durant. Please mention the workshop name and reference the following code when making reservations via phone, fax or e-mail: BJ0000. The cut-off date for reservations is April 4, 2008. Session Chairmen (PDF 23KB)

To apply for funding, you must register by the funding application deadline displayed above.

Students, recent Ph.D.'s, women, and members of underrepresented minorities are particularly encouraged to apply. Funding awards are typically made 6 weeks before the workshop begins. Requests received after the funding deadline are considered only if additional funds become available.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Rose Garden Inn. Reservations may be made by calling 1-800-992-9005 OR directly on their website. Click on Corporate at the bottom of the screen and when prompted enter code MATH (this code is not case sensitive). By using this code a new calendar will appear and will show MSRI rate on all room types available.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hotel Durant. Reservations may be made by calling 1-800-238-7268. When making reservations, guests must request the MSRI preferred rate. If you are making your reservations on line, please go to this link and enter the promo/corporate code MSRI123. Our preferred rate is $129 per night for a Deluxe Queen/King, based on availability.